Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat
by gigundoly
Summary: Sequel to Una Mentira - When a girl with spina bifida auditions for New Directions, Tina and Artie's relationship is put to the test. Artie/Tina, Artie/OC
1. And the Devil Will Drag You Under

Summary: Set five months after Una Mentira, the Glee kids are back for another school year. Before New Directions can get started on their new set list for Sectionals, some changes are in store for the club. Once again, it is time to hold open auditions, and a certain new sophomore is sure to rock the boat. (Features an OC that was mentioned in Una Mentira.)

* * *

A familiar sign up sheet was plastered on the bulletin board on the first day of school. Not surprisingly, Rachel Berry was already putting her name on the top of the page and surrounding it by a dozen gold star stickers so that it took up the first three rows. She'd even written in her own gold sharpie this year. But as she finished her ostentatious display, she turned to roll her eyes at whoever happened to be nearby. Artie and Tina were the lucky ones to get the full force of Rachel's rant.

"It hardly seems neccessary for _everyone _to audition again," she whined. "After we took second at Regionals last year, no less. _Second, _mind you, is fairly impressive considering we finished behind Vocal Adrenaline and with only a few minor technicalities to blame for our point deductions."

"Haven't I apologized enough for tripping?" Tina wondered aloud, meeting the eyes of Artie, who twisted in his chair and glanced up at her, worriedly. Tina, who no longer hid behind the stutter she'd once worked so hard to fake, was much more confrontational this year. She glared angrily at Rachel and it was Rachel, not Tina, who looked away first.

"We _didn't_ lose because Tina tripped," said Artie, who always secretly wondered if the sight of his wheelchair spinning around, mimicking the others' dance movements as closely as possible, could have been the actual reason for the deduction. The judges never would have said so, of course. But he distinctly remembered overhearing the judge at Sectionals who criticized the deaf kids for "honking."

Rachel sighed. "We can put last year behind us now, I suppose," she conceded. "Mind you, I _am_ proud of last year. I just think we can do better. And it's important that Mr. Schuester remembers to set the bar even higher now. More people will want to join, what with all of our success. We'll have to start being more selective."

She nodded, tossing her hair over her shoulder, as if that were the final word on the matter and hurried off before Artie or Tina could say anything else. Artie looked at Tina, who shrugged as the bell rang. "Mr. Schuester isn't wasting any time," he said. "Auditions begin _today _after school, see?" Artie gestured to the sign up sheet.

Tina uncapped her purple pen, saying, "Guess we'd better sign up!"

* * *

"Tina C," she announced, several hours later. "I Kissed a Girl." No stutter this year, and that was just about the only difference in the performance. That and the fact that Tina beamed with complete confidence as she sang the same song she'd auditioned with last year. Mr. Schuester looked puzzled... and possibly slightly annoyed?

Mr. Schue was no dummy. He couldn't help but notice that the returning members of New Directions hadn't stressed themselves out over the audition. Naturally, they all saw it as nothing more than a formality. Even Rachel had recycled old material, singing a medley of her "greatest hits" to remind her friends and teachers of the many times she'd been featured during the previous year.

"Thank you, Tina," said Mr. Schuester, dryly. Looking pleased with herself, Tina hurried offstage to take her usual spot next to Artie. Sitting with them were the rest of the returning members of New Directions. On the other side of the auditorium was everyone else, the kids who would be auditioning for the first time. There was definitely an air of _us _versus _them _in the room.

"Next up," said Mr. Schue, clearing his throat. "Olivia Ortiz." The name caused Artie to look up from his homework, startled. The younger girl, a sophomore with spina bifida, stood with some difficulty. She balanced on a pair of forearm crutches, much like the ones that Artie used in therapy. With obvious effort, Olivia made her way up the stairs beside the stage.

Last spring, Artie had revealed a number of secrets about himself over the course of a few very eventful days. The most shocking revelation was the fact that Artie could, in fact, move his legs. Until that point, he hadn't wanted to explain incomplete paralysis to his friends in glee, for fear that they wouldn't understand this complicated concept. Artie had been wrong about that. Not only did they understand, they were excited when he "walked" for them, using the crutches that normally stayed in his basement. Artie couldn't use his crutches the way Olivia Ortiz used hers on a daily basis. They were for therapy only. He was still stuck with the chair as his primary means of mobility.

Artie shifted in his seat, realizing that _he_ felt uncomfortable watching Olivia struggle to get onstage_. _He realized, with a nagging sense of irony, that people probably felt uncomfortable the first time he'd been _carried _onto the stage, before the school's auditorium had ramps. Olivia smiled, despite her struggle, and balanced expertly on one crutch as she lowered the microphone to be level with her lips. She waited as the music cued up, then opened her mouth to belt it.

_"Don't tell me not to** live**, just sit and putter!  
Life's candy and the **sun's** a ball of butter!  
Don't bring around a cloud to rain on myyyyyy paraaaaade!  
Don't tell me not to **fly**, I simply got to!  
If someone takes a spill, it's me and **not you!  
**Who told you you're **allowed** to rain on myyyyyy paraaaaade!"_

"Does she _know_ whose song that is?" Quinn's lips were turned up as she whispered this so that only Artie and Brittany, who sat on either side of her, could hear. Quinn looked amused, however, and she made a point to catch Rachel's eye and grin broadly. Rachel sat primly on the edge of her seat, looking like she was waiting to be fired out of a cannon as she watched Olivia sing _her_ solo, the Barbara Steisand hit that had helped the team take Sectionals.

Much like when Kurt had sung _Defying Gravity, _the emotional connection between the singer and the song was entirely different. Rachel Berry, although vocally flawless, couldn't bring either song new meaning. But Olivia Ortiz, leaning on her crutches while singing lines like "don't tell me not to fly" brought an entirely different emotional quality to the song.

"She's... really good," Tina muttered. "Look at Mr. Schuester, he _loves_ her, you can tell. She might be the best girl to audition today, Rachel included. Wow, this is going to be an _interesting _year, that's for sure." She fell silent, watching as Olivia absolutely _killed _the rest of the song, even bringing tears to the eyes of the judges, Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury. When she finished, the teachers stood up and applauded for her, causing everyone else in the auditorium to follow their lead. Artie, of course, kept his seat, but so did Rachel Berry who remained absolutely motionless.

It was fortunate for everyone else in the room that Mr. Schuester followed up Olivia's audition by announcing that hers was the last one of the day and stating that auditions would continue the next day. Those who still hadn't sung looked relieved that they wouldn't be following Olivia.

Artie was silent as Tina pushed him out of the auditorium. They were two of the last people to leave the auditorium so that Artie didn't have to worry about rolling on toes in the sea of students. Tina broke his silence by leaning over him, saying, "What did _you _think of Olivia? Pretty awesome, huh?"

"She _was _awesome," Artie agreed. "It's just too bad we've already reached our cripple quota for the team."

He didn't know what prompted him to say it, but it was all he could think about. It already looked strange enough for Artie to dance around in his wheelchair, but as long as it was just _one_ person onstage sticking out like a sore thumb, the oddity was tolerable. _Two_ sore thumbs, however? The Artie-and-Olivia freak show was sure to take away from everything else happening in their set.

What followed then was worse than the reaction he got out of Tina, who scoffed and slugged him hard in the shoulder. Both friends turned around when someone else behind them made a small noise. They turned, in horror, to see Olivia standing right behind them. And behind Olivia, Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury stood, gaping, having also overheard Artie's comment.

Tears were swimming in Olivia's eyes. "I wish someone would've told me that _before_,"she sputtered, glaring angrily at Artie. Artie opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. It was already too late because Olivia hurried off in the opposite direction, moving remarkably fast for a girl on crutches. Artie cast his eyes upward and found himself under the harsh scrutiny Mr. Schuester, Ms. Pillsbury, and Tina.

Mr. Schue mouthed counting to three before speaking. "Artie," he said. "You're off the team."


	2. And I Said to Myself, Sit Down

"Mr. Schue, you _can't_ kick Artie off the team," Tina pleaded. Artie, however, felt like someone had just glued his tongue to the roof of his mouth. He could not say anything, but only wished that he could wake up, to end this nightmare. He, who never did anything wrong in Mr. Schuester's eyes, had just ruined it all in one moment. Consequently, how could he even argue with his teacher's punishment?

Mr. Schuester narrowed his eyes, looking at Tina, and then turned his attention back to the boy in the wheelchair. "My classroom," he said, sharply, and Artie noticed that his teacher was working to control himself. If Mr. Schue hadn't been a teacher, a professional, he quite possibly might have strangled Artie for this misconduct. With one last helpless glance at Tina and Ms. Pillsbury, Artie gave his wheels a push and followed behind Mr. Schuester as he led the way to his classroom, maintaining a cautious distance.

Wordlessly, the teacher held the door open for his student and watched with the utmost scrunity as the boy parked his chair in front of the desk. Mr. Schuester remained silent as he took a seat behind his desk, creating a rather intimidating barrier between himself and the boy. Artie gulped audibly, not sure how to behave in this situation. He had never _once_ made Mr. Schuester angry. Mr. Schuester only got angry at people like Puck and Rachel, people who liked to create drama. Artie, always the innocent one, hadn't ever been the one to stir up drama. (Well, there was that one time last spring, but that was _nothing_ compared to this.)

"Artie," he began, as Artie braced himself. "I can't even... _begin _to tell you... how _disappointed _I am." He spoke slowly, placing special emphasis on his words so that they struck Artie at his core. Artie hung his head in shame and nodded miserably. "I might have expected a comment like that from someone else. But to hear it from you? To hear you say that after everything you've been through with our team? Artie, it just makes no sense. You expect us to treat you like everyone else, correct?"

"I - " But Mr. Schuester wasn't waiting for an answer. He went on as though Artie hadn't started to speak.

"You've always expected to be treated like everyone else," he said, answering his own question. "You made that clear to me day one, Artie. I'll admit now that I had my reservations about you. During our first few practices, I worried about how to work a wheelchair into all of our choreography. But it turned out that I didn't need to worry. You figured that out for yourself. _You _brought us the band. _You _were and still are the strongest male vocalist we have, Finn included. Because of your talent, we don't see your disability when we watch you perform. And I know that's how you want it to be. And yet _you _watched this girl get up on stage, give a truly incredible performance, and still saw nothing more than her disability."

"W-what can I do, Mr. Schuester?" Artie said, swallowing hard. "I... I can't make an excuse for myself because there _is _no excuse for what I did. I was thinking about wheelchairs and crutches taking away from our performance, I guess, which _isn't _fair because you guys could have said that all along. But no one ever did. Well, except for the time Rachel commented about me singing _Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat, _but that's Rachel. And even Rachel wouldn't have said what I said today."

"You really want to fix this?" Mr. Schuester studied him critically. "Because Artie, I gotta say, it kills me to have you off the team. You're pretty crucial to our success as a team. I can't imagine New Directions without you, and I don't want to. But I'm having an awfully hard time picturing us without Olivia, too."

"So am I," said Artie, truthfully. "That audition... she kind of blew Rachel out of the water."

"Well, we won't tell Rachel that," said Mr. Schuester, tactfully. "But if you really want to fix things, then you'll need this..." He reached for a binder sitting on his desk. As he flipped through the pages, Artie peered across the desk curiously. Mr. Schue was looking through the student information forms that they had all filled out before auditions. He stopped when he got to one form and opened the binder to remove it. He handed Olivia's form to Artie.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"Because," he replied. "You're going to need to offer Olivia a spot on the team in person. Tell her that if she still wants to join us, the spot is hers. And I want it to come from _you _because it'll be important for you assure to her she's going to fit in just fine here, no matter what her disability. You ought to know _that_ better than anyone by now, Artie. And, for your sake and ours, I hope she agrees. Because if she doesn't join us, you aren't coming back. And that'll be final. But if you can get Olivia to join New Directions, I'll give you your spot back."

Mr. Schuester took the form back, highlighted a line, and handed it to Artie, who looked at him dubiously.

"Her address?"

"It's within walking distance," replied Mr. Schuester, coolly. "I don't think you should waste any time, do you?"

Artie nodded, thinking that it would not be wise of him to correct Mr. Schuester for saying "walking distance," as opposed to _rolling _distance. All of the standard Artie wise-cracks about wheelchairs were going to be placed on an indefinite hiatus until he could get on his teacher's good side again. He thanked Mr. Schuester for giving him a chance to earn back his spot and promised not to let him down again. Artie hoped he could make good on that promise.

* * *

Olivia's house was a mere three blocks away from Artie's, and it was on his way home.

Tina agreed with Mr. Schuester that it was important for Artie to act quickly. She had waited outside Mr. Schuester's classroom while he and Artie talked, and when Artie finally emerged, she'd demanded a full report. Wordlessly, Artie had handed her the form and Tina took note of the highlighted address. "He's right," she'd told Artie. "Talk to her now. Talk to her in person. Want me to come with you? I can come with you."

But Artie knew he needed to go on his own. It would mean more if Artie went to Olivia without an ally. He thanked Tina for being so supportive, kissed her, and promised her that he would fix things. Reassured, Tina had intertwined their fingers, kissed him more deeply, and told him, in her sweetest voice, "For your sake _and _mine, I hope you do."

For five months now, Artie and Tina had been _officially _going out. As Mercedes always pointed out, there was no reason why it should have taken them so long. Secrets and lies, however, had gotten in the way of their happiness. But once everything was out in the open, Artie vowed to be completely honest with Tina. He was lucky to have her. And after everything they had been through, he couldn't imagine not having all of the wonderful experiences of glee club to share with Tina.

He was so caught up in his thoughts about Tina that, out of habit, he nearly rolled right past Olivia's house on his way home. But he remembered just in time. As he pushed himself up Olivia's driveway, his nerves began to get the best of him. He imagined ringing the doorbell only to have Olivia answer and slam the door in his face. Then he imagined that Olivia might have an older brother, a jock perhaps, who would be waiting at the door to slushie him. For once, he mused, he would be deserving of that fate.

Instead, a friendly and familiar-looking Hispanic woman answered the door. She took in the sight of Artie in his chair and said, warmly,"Oh, hi, I recognize you. Do you know who I am? You might not know me without my hair net!"

"Oh... aren't you the school lunch lady?" Artie said, blushing because he was worried he might have sounded a bit condescending. Were you supposed to say cafeteria worker? This was _not _Artie's day to say the right thing, but the woman didn't look upset or offended. Instead, she smiled and nodded.

"That's me," she confirmed, her smile never faltering. "Are you a friend of Olivia's?"

It was then that Olivia appeared behind the woman. She scowled at the sight of Artie and, before Artie could say anything, answered the question herself. "No, mom," she said, callously. "He most certainly is _not._"

_"Mi hija!" _Mrs. Ortiz exclaimed, aghast. She began speaking rapidly in Spanish to Oliva, and Oliva fired back, speaking just as quickly. Artie realized, as he struggled to pick out the words he knew, that he was a long way away from being fluent in Spanish. He could tell that they were talking about him, obviously, but that was pretty much all he could gauge. And then Artie felt the scrutiny of Mrs. Ortiz's eyes upon him, and it became clear to him that Olivia had just told her everything.

"Look, Olivia," he began. "I came here to apologize for that. I was wrong, I was stupid. Can I at least come inside and explain myself? Then, if you're still mad, I'll just go. But please, at least listen to what I have to say?"

Olivia glanced at her mother, who ever so slightly nodded. "Fine, come on in," she huffed, annoyed. "You want to talk? Let's talk. I have a few things I'd like to say to _you... _cripple to cripple."


	3. Sit Down, Sit Down, Sit Down

A/N: LOL the word 'mallards' was in my word verification when I signed in to write! Brittany!

A/N - 2: Something happened and chapter 2 took several hours to show up online. It was only showing up in my profile. *stews* Hopefully, it doesn't happen again...

A/N - 3: I can't help but notice I don't get as many reviews on this one. Is the idea of the original character turning people off?! Or have I made Artie screw up one time too many? ROFL.

* * *

Artie could only remember feeling _this_ uncomfortable following that time he had lied to Tina. After Mrs. Ortiz excused herself, much to Artie's relief, a still-scowling Olivia suggested that they talk about this outside on the porch in order to escape questions and comments from "the peanut gallery," otherwise known as Olivia's three younger siblings. She took a seat on the porch swing, dropping her crutches below. Artie parked his chair next to the swing. The girl stared at him, saying nothing. It was clear that she wouldn't be the first to speak, but Artie was relieved that she was even willing to let him talk.

He cleared his throat. "Obviously, I never meant for you to hear what I said," he began, and it looked like he had already chosen the wrong words, for Olivia scrunched up her face at this. "But... you heard it anyway. Regardless of whether you heard me or not, it was still totally uncalled for. I'm really... really sorry."

Olivia stared at him, moving her legs, making the swing go back and forth. She did not look Artie in the eye, but appeared to be looking at a spot on the ground instead. Artie followed her eyes and, upon closer inspection, realized she was staring at her crutches. There were a few stickers scattered here and there. Artie realized that she even had stickers shaped like music notes. He had similar stickers on the arm rest of his wheelchair, also music notes to reflect his greatest passion.

"Have you ever been called a cripple, Artie?" she said, softly.

"Uh," Artie fumbled. "Yeah, every... day? Every other day, at least. That's kind of my nickname, according to the jocks at school. After awhile, I guess you sort of become numb to it. Kind of like how your face literally becomes numb after you get slushied. Ever been... slushied?"

"Almost," Olivia said, and she nearly smiled at this. "It was one of the Cheerios, last year. Not one of the glee club Cheerios. I suppose they became a bit nicer after joining New Directions, didn't they? Anyway, my mom caught a hold of her arm before she could throw it in my face. And then Mom shut down the slushie machine for an entire week. Well, the jocks became pretty restless that week, and I heard that everyone ganged up on the Cheerio who was foolish enough to go after me. Mom turned the machine back on, after Principal Figgins complained that it was a crucial source of school profit, and the jocks went back to giving out slushie facials. But I was safe from then on. It can be embarrassing, having your mom work in the cafeteria, but it can also be helpful."

Artie couldn't help looking impressed. "Lucky for you," he said. "But I wouldn't count on being immune to getting slushied when you join glee club. The jocks would consider it heresy if you got away with that."

"But I thought I wasn't joining glee club," Olivia said, indignantly. The light, almost friendly tone of the conversation disappeared when they returned to the topic of glee club. The biting sarcasm returned. "You _did _say the club had reached the cripple quota, didn't you? I take it _one_ token cripple is the quota. I wonder... could direct me to the section in the rule book concerning cripples?"

Artie dropped his gaze. "Alright, I deserved that," he muttered. "But it might interest you to know that I was sent here to talk to you. Mr. Schuester wanted me to tell you that you're on the team, if you'll still accept your spot. He was really impressed with your audition. We all were." He looked up at her again. "You're good, Olivia. But I don't have to tell you that."

"I see," she replied. "So you were _sent_, were you? What is this, your punishment?"

"No," said Artie, in a very small voice. "My punishment was being thrown off the team."

"You? But you lead the band, you sing all the best songs, you're the best guy they have!" It was an accidental compliment, and she blushed as soon as she'd said it. Artie blushed, too, not expecting to receive praise from the person he ought to be complimenting instead.

"Well, I did a stupid thing," he went on. "I might have cost us a new member. And this new member, if she were willing to join, sang Rachel Berry's solo from Sectionals better than Rachel herself. I think Mr. Schuester did me a favor, actually. Because once it got out that _I _was the one who stopped you from joining, the rest of them would've rioted against me. They're pretty impressed, you see."

"So, it's two cripples... or no cripples?" Artie winced as she said the word again.

"Please... enough with that word."

"Cripple," said Olivia, delivering the word so forcefully that Artie actually winced. "Cripple, cripple, cripple! What's the matter? I thought you said you were numb to that word. Or did you think that nobody else minded being called a cripple just because you've gone and decided it's okay? Because maybe we should just go survery all the other _cripples _out there to find out what _they _think!"

Artie exhaled impatiently, getting frustrated with the girl. The rational voice in his head was reminding him that he was supposed to be smoothing things over, not stirring up more trouble. But he was starting to get fed up with her obsession over this one little slip of the tongue. When was she going to cut him a break?

"I've apologized for that," he said, controlling his temper carefully. "If you aren't going to accept my apology, that's fine. But it's all I can do at this point. I wish I could go back and un-say it, but I can't."

"I _admired _you, Artie," she confessed, meeting his gaze with such intensity that he had to look away. "I have to admit, I saw the sign up sheet go up last year, but I didn't dare to try out. I thought to myself, 'How could a girl on crutches be a part of a team that has to sing _and _dance?' So, although I l_ove_ singing, I didn't try out. And then I see _you _up there, in the center of it all, doing that... that really erotic song..."

Artie blushed deeply. "_Push It_," he cringed as he named the song, though even he had to admit that the song had been kind of fun. Artie secretly thought he'd be an excellent R&B singer, perhaps even a rapper. But regrettably, he had eventually come to terms with the fact that he was white. He was, in fact, whiter than white. Kurt once said that Artie might as well be _clear_. But _Push It _let him live out some of his greatest fantasies - being a gansta, slapping Tina's ass...

Olivia almost smiled for the second time. "Yeah, that was a great performance," he said. "But the best part about it, for me, was seeing you. You were fearless out there, Artie. By the time the song was over, well, I guarantee you we weren't thinking about your wheelchair! When I saw _that_, I almost tried out for glee club. And then... I don't know... I stlill wasn't as brave as you. I chickened out again. So now, a year later, I finally build up the courage to try doing what you did. I tried to make my crutches, my disability, disappear."

"And I go and ruin it," Artie supplied, feeling ashamed again. He waited for another verbal beating from Olivia, but she was looking at him thoughtfully, and he could feel the tension lifting. "Look, _I _want you to join without any reservations. The team has been good for me. I don't know if you knew about this, but we even did a whole number with everybody in wheelchairs. And _that _was quite possibly the single best thing that's happened to me since I had my accident. I want you to be part of New Directions, Olivia. And not just because I want my spot back, although I have to admit, I want it pretty badly. You _deserve _to have a moment like that. Like I had when we did _Proud Mary._"

"The thing is, I really _can't _do much on my crutches," she said, looking thoughtful. She studied Artie, then smiled slightly. "As long as I'm using them, I can't even use my arms to dance. But I think I may have an idea to remedy that little issue. Anyway, Artie... I... I still don't know if I really want to join. Not just because of what _you _said. I was close to backing out before I even heard what you said. I'm worried that I may not be able to work up enough courage to go through with it. Can... can I think about it and let you know?"

Artie agreed to this request, because it was all he could do. At any rate, it seemed like Olivia was on her way to forgiving him for the rude comment and for this, he had to be grateful. But he went home feeling disappointed. His fate with New Directions was still in question. If Olivia didn't join, he could kiss it all goodbye.


	4. Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat!

A/N: I love my reviews, thank you!

* * *

For the rest of the week, Artie worried about his fate with the glee club, making this the longest first week of school ever. He discovered that he and Olivia, the decider of his fate, crossed paths a few times during the day, particularly when she was finishing her lunch period and he was starting his. Beginning on Tuesday, this was their routine: Artie would pass by Olivia as she walked beside a friend who graciously carried both of their empty lunch trays. While the friend deposited the trays, Artie would steal a moment to talk to Olivia. The conversation was always the same.

"Decided yet?" Artie would say, and Olivia would reply with a shrug and a feeble apology. She knew exactly what was at stake for Artie if she didn't join. On Thursday, she told him that she was really sorry that Mr. Schuester wouldn't let Artie back on the team if she didn't join as well. Artie didn't know why Olivia would apologize to him for that. Afterall, he had been the one to screw everything up.

On Friday, however, he found out why Olivia suddenly felt a little guilty herself. Tina came rushing up to him before school that day, already on the verge of tears. For once, she was authentically disfluent as she sputtered out, "Sh-sh-she's not joining us, Artie. Which means _you're _not joining us! Oh, Artie, what's glee without _you?_"

Artie had to ask Tina to take a deep breath. Then he gestured for her to lean over so that he could hold her in a tight embrace. "It's gonna be alright," he soothed, rubbing her back, even though he felt like he was going to need someone to comfort him soon. What would _he _do without glee club? Over the past year, it had become a part of his identity. Without the club, he would have to go back to being that geek in the wheelchair... instead of that _gleek_ in the wheelchair. It was almost too much to bear.

And as if finding out from Tina hadn't been bad enough, Artie was on his way to lunch when he rolled past the bulletin board where the sign up sheet had been. There, posted in its place, was a list of the students who had made New Directions. Last year, everyone who auditioned had made it. This year, as Rachel had said, Mr. Schuester was able to be more selective. Artie noticed that the club now had a whopping twenty-two members. And everyone who had been a part of New Directions last year was returning.

Everyone but Artie.

Lost in the surreal horror of this moment, Artie almost didn't hear Mercedes, Kurt, and Brittany approach. When he realized they were standing right behind him, the three friends had finished skimming the list and were now staring down at Artie, their expressions perplexed.

"Huh," Mercedes put one hand on her hip, frowning. "Mr. Schue forgot to put you on this list, Artie." She didn't sound very concerned. To Mercedes, this just looked like an absentminded oversight on the part of their teacher. Artie hated to break it to her.

"That's... not an accident," he began, reluctantly. He had deliberately been keeping his friends in the dark, something he should have known not to do, given his past experiences. Kurt and Mercedes exchanged worried glances, and Kurt was the one to demand an explanation. With a heavy heart, Artie poured out the entire story for his friends. At some point, Tina approached and silently joined the group. She stared at the list, sadness etched in her face.

"We have to do something," said Kurt, balling his hands into fists. For once, Kurt actually looked intimidating as he spoke. Artie couldn't help but be startled and maybe a little impressed. "We should... we should boycott the club!"

"Yeah!" agreed Brittany, perhaps a little too enthusiastic. "And Tina, Mercedes and me will _girl_cott the club." Her announcement was met with blank stares as her friends tried to decide if Brittany had been kidding. Brittany, however, appeared completely serious. "What? There's no reason to be _sexist, _Kurt."

"That's it," whispered Tina, disregarding Brittany's remark entirely. She was looking at Kurt, inspired. "We can cross our names off the list! I'll do it. Will you Kurt? Mercedes? Brittany? If we cross our names off the list, then that'll show Mr. Schue that we don't agree with his decision and maybe Artie can get his spot back!"

Mercedes, Kurt, and Brittany looked slightly less enthusiastic about the idea of crossing their names off the list. Artie wasn't thrilled about the suggestion either. Although it was nice to know Tina would go to such lengths to support him, he knew nothing good would come of it. If anything, it would just make Mr. Schue angrier.

"Guys," he said, feeling slightly choked up over this show of support but trying his best not to make things awkward. "I... I really do appreciate what you're trying to do, but don't you see? Even if you all cross your names off, Mr. Schue has plenty of performers for Sectionals. He still has more than he needs. And I _know _how much the club needs all of you. You can't do that for me, you just can't."

"Watch me," said Tina, uncapping her purple pen. It was times like this when Artie wished he could reach higher. He would have snatched then pen out of Tina's hand immediately. But there was no way for him to stop her in time. She was hovering over her name, about to cross it out, when something else interrupted her instead.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Mr. Schuester, coolly, causing Tina to work up a furious blush. Or maybe she was turning red out of anger, it was hard for Artie to tell this time. Either way, Tina backed away from the bulletin board, looking wounded. Wordlessly, Mr. Schuester took the pen out of her hand.

"Artie," he said, causing Artie to tear his eyes away from his poor, panick-stricken Tina. "I don't know what you said to Olivia, but it looks like you're forgiven. I got a note on my desk from her today. She told me that her decision not to join has nothing to do with what you said. And furthermore, she said that she wouldn't be able to stand it if I kicked you out. So... "

And with that, Mr. Schuester added a twenty-third member to the list, putting Artie's name at the bottom of the list using Tina's purple Sharpie. The five friends stared in amazement and relief. Artie choked out a "thank you," which his teacher received with a curt nod. As soon as Mr. Schue walked away, they all gathered in a group hug, lauging out of relief. Tina even cried.

"I still don't feel right about this," Artie said, staring up at the list wistfully. As he wondered why he couldn't feel more cheerful about being back in New Directions, her face appeared in his mind. It wasn't right of him to let her give up so easily. "Guys, we have to do something about Olivia..."

Tina shrugged indifferently. "If she doesn't want to join, she doesn't want to join. Personally, I think she's crazy to pass up the opportunity, with talent like that. But we can't _force_ someone to join. I mean, what are we going to do? Threaten her with a slushie facial if she won't come to her senses?"

Artie suddenly grinned and Tina was worried that she'd said exactly the wrong thing.

* * *

"... got an eighty-two on the Algebra test, but I think I could have done better if I'd studied," Olivia was saying to her friend at lunch. She took one last bite of the chocolate cake that her mother had prepared especially for Friday. The hot lunch today had been chicken spaghetti. Her mother always made sure that Friday's meals were the best. As she glanced up to ask her friend how she'd done on the test, she caught sight of something troubling. Five members of New Directions approached her table, all of them carrying slushie cups.

"'Liv, I think these upperclassmen are friends of yours," said her friend, Courtney, who eyed Finn with admiration. Like most of the freshman and sophomore girls at McKinley, she thought Finn Hudson was totally dreamy. Finn, however, was looking at Olivia with a mischievous glint in his eye. With him were Kurt, Mercedes, Brittany and Artie.

"Uh, hi, g-guys," Olivia squeaked out. She certainly wouldn't go so far as to refer to the members of New Directions as friends. They were merely people she'd admired from afar, which definitely didn't qualify as friends. "What's with the, um, slushies?"

"New tradition," explained Kurt, looking at her seriously as he held up his cup like a prize. "Anyone who earns a spot in New Directions, but then refuses to join us gets a face full of the cold stuff. So, even though you seem like a nice girl, we're going to have to slushie you. I recommend closing your eyes as it tends to burn if it makes contact. Oh, and we'll give you a few seconds to remove any accessories that you'd like to salvage. That adorable scarf, for instance."

"You aren't... serious?" Olivia began, her eyes darting between all the faces until they landed on Artie. "I've already told you, Artie, what my mother thinks about this whole business of giving out slushie facials, haven't I? You don't actually expect to get away with it, do you? She shut them down before. She'll do it again."

"Oh, no, she won't," said Artie, most assuredly. "It just so happens that I've explained to her what we're doing, and she completely agrees with my decision to slushie you. It isn't fair of you to tease us with that awesome audition of yours and just walk away after you've finally been given a chance. We won't regret hitting you with a slushie_ half _as much as you'll regret missing out on everything glee has to offer you. And I'm not just talking about competitions, Christmas parades, and school assemblies."

"And if I refuse, I get to wear that drink you're holding?" Olivia replied, appalled. "Really, this is how you persuade me?"

"Nope," Artie replied. "_This _is how we persuade you." Artie glanced over his shoulder, gesturing to Tina who stood a short distance away, locked in a heated debate with Rachel. Tina responded to his gesture with a thumbs up, and then practically dragged Rachel, who looked considerably less enthusiastic, over to the table.

"Tell her what you told me," Tina insisted.

"I said... " Rachel shifted her weight uncomfortably, and it looked as though it cost her a lot to say it. "... I said that if Olivia doesn't join us, we're losing out on a really strong female vocalist. And also... " Rachel paused, her expression changing. Artie was reminded of the time Rachel had allowed the solo to go to Mercedes. Even _she_ had to admit that Mercedes had blown her out of water. It looked like history was about to repeat itself. Rachel smiled now, poised but gracious.

" ... also, I've never heard a better rendition of _Don't Rain on my Parade._"

Olivia's expression softened at this. She blushed and looked at her lunch tray. "Coming from you, Rachel?" she began. "That means a lot. I didn't know you that was your solo, by the way. Someone told me afterwards. I'm sure if I heard _your _rendition, I'd say the same thing about you. But... but thank you."

"Well, she doesn't look convinced, guys," said Finn, cheerfully. "Slushies on three! One - "

"WAIT!" Olivia held up her hands, dissolving into giggles. "Wait, wait, wait! Don't slushie me, please! I'm in! I'm in! Just let me stay dry!" As she said this, the seven returning members of New Directions all cheered. Artie immediately proposed a slushie toast, and they all clinked their cups together before drinking in honor of their newest member.

"To Olivia!"


	5. People All Said, Beware!

Now that he was a member of New Directions again, Artie could relax and enjoy the weekend. The never-ending week was punctuated by a whirlwind weekend that flew by at record pace. Like most weekends, Artie spent his free time with Tina. On Friday night, they saw a movie that neither of them liked very much. On Saturday, they took advantage of the warm weather and spent the day at the park. On Sunday afternoon, Artie knocked out his homework, but Tina took a nap and put hers off until that evening. Artie suggested that she come over to his place to finish so that he could keep her on track.

After they finished their third make out session, Tina wiped her lips, which were getting a little chapped and said, "Artie, you're supposed to be forcing me to do homework, not making out with me all evening."

"Oh... yeah," Artie replied, breathing heavily as he propped himself up against the pillows. Tina carefully untangled herself from his legs. Artie hadn't noticed that she'd wound her lower body around his, but the fact caught his attention now, and he couldn't help but like that. "Sorry, do your homework, Tee. I was just, er, giving you a little motivation. When you finish, there's more where that came from." Artie did a little seductive eyebrow wiggle that made Tina giggle.

"You are _so_ smooth," she retorted, rolling her eyes and reaching for her Spanish book. He noticed that she did seem slightly more hurried to finish her work, and for that, he was pleased. Tina turned her attention to conjucating verbs, and Artie tried to come up with something to occupy his time.

He decided to Google. Googling was always a good cure for boredom. Artie transferred from his bed to his chair and wheeled over to his desk. He turned on his laptop, singing _Proud Mary _softly as he waited for it to boot up. Tina chimed in with her parts, smiling up at him. Artie, realizing he was distracting Tina again, stopped singing aloud but let the song continue in his head. He was getting really pumped about glee. Practices resumed on Monday. This reminded him of Olivia.

Before he knew it, Artie was googling _spina bifida._ It occurred to him that all he basically knew about spina bifida was that this serious birth defect caused paralysis, either partial or complete. He wanted to know more, however, since it looked like they would all be spending a lot of time with Olivia. Artie felt like he owed her this much. He skimmed past a few websites until he found himself at the Spina Bifida Association's website. This looked credible, and he began reading.

There was a slightly frightening component of the disorder that stood out to Artie as he found himself reading an article entitled HYDROCEPHALUS AND SHUNTS IN THE PERSON WITH SPINA BIFIDA. Having taken a class in anatomy, he knew right away that hydo- referred to water and -cephalus was talking about the brain. Hydocephalus, he deciphered, referred to fluid in the brain. The next thing he read made his skin crawl.

"About 80 percent of people with spina bifida have hydrocephalus that needs treatment. Almost all shunts are put in during the first days or weeks after birth," it read. Artie wondered if Olivia belonged to the majority described in the article. He went on to read about how shunts could sometimes malfunction and the problem might even go undetected, even on CT and MRI scans. Most people with spina bifida, it seemed, dealt with a shunt malfunction at one time or another in their life.

"What'cha reading?" Tina asked, causing Artie to jump, startled abrubtly out of his reading. "Whoa, pretty interesting stuff over there? You were staring at the screen with your mouth open."

"No, it's just..." Artie glanced back at the article. "Come have a look, here." He waited while Tina set her book aside to join him in front of the computer. He watched her read and saw the expression on her face change from curiousity to concern. When she finished reading, she gave Artie a meaningful look.

"I know," he said, shaking his head as he reread the statistic. "I kind of want to ask her about it, but I'm not sure that's any of my business. And how do you even approach a question like that? 'Hi, do you have a shunt in your head or are you in the lucky, twenty-percent minority?' I get the feeling that she's pretty sensitive about her disability. But I think that the more open she can be with us, the more comfortable she'll feel with the whole group. It helped me when I finally came clean about my skiing accident. Maybe if -"

"Artie?" Tina interrupted, sheepishly. "Please don't take this the wrong way. I think Olivia seems like a great person, but don't you think you're obsessing just a tad? We all know you, but I guarantee you I'm the only person who's done extensive research on spinal cord injuries. I think we can get by without knowing every little thing about her disability. And if you ask come right out and her, it probably _will _embarrass her. She does seem shy."

Artie couldn't get past the fact that Tina had just used the word 'obsessing' to describe his interest in Olivia's disability. Was it _obsessing _to innocently google a few facts while killing time? Artie didn't think so. He couldn't help feeling a little cross over Tina's reaction. "Fine, I won't ask," he said, flatly.

"Well, don't look so sour about it," Tina said, shrugging innocently. "I'm not telling you what to do. I'm simply giving you my advice on the matter. If you don't want to take it, then just forget I said anything. Do whatever you want."

"Well, it's going to be kind of hard to forget that you just accused me of _obsessing _over another girl!"

"I meant obsessing over her disability," Tina shot back, glaring at him. "Don't twist my words."

"I'm sorry," said Artie, quickly. The past several months of having a girlfriend had taught him that the sooner he could apologize for his misdeeds, the better off he was. Sure enough, Tina's accusing glare softened at this. Looking away, she nodded, but Artie could tell that this wasn't the end of it. Was he imagining things or did Tina seem _jealous _of Olivia?

He was imagining things, he decided. He'd given Tina no reason to be jealous.

* * *

The choir room was fuller than ever as new members and old members alike came straggling in after the bell. Artie and Tina had been two of the first to arrive, their excitement hardly containable after waiting all day for the final bell to ring. Unintentionally, the old members and new members were still segregated, twelve on the right and twelve on the left. Actually... Artie counted... _eleven_ on the left. Olivia was still missing. He worried suddenly that she'd only said she'd join to avoid the slushie they'd threatened her with on Friday. He was about to say something to Tina, but recalling their conversation on Sunday, Artie wisely held his tongue.

"Alright, now _that's _what I'm talking about!" Mr. Schuester clapped his hands, getting the group's attention. He marveled at the sheer number of students sitting in front of him, all of the elite ones who had stood out above the rest at auditions.

Puck, seeming to mistake his environment for the boys' lockerroom, jumped to his feet and led the rest of the jocks in a series of loud grunts and whoops. In addition to Puck, Finn, Matt, and Mike, there were now two more jocks that Artie recognized but couldn't name. In addition to Brittany and Santana, there were also two new Cheerios added to their number. All four girls wore the uniform that Quinn Fabray had surrendered once and for all after the birth of her daughter last year.

"Nice enthusiasm there, Puck," said Mr. Schuester, when the jocks and Cheerios had settled down. The other members of New Directions looked slightly alienated at this outburst, especially the new ones who hadn't been expecting glee club to be completely overrun with popular kids. "I can already tell that this is going to be the best year ever. Now, before we get started, our first order of business is introductions. Is everyone present?"

Mercedes saved Artie the trouble of speaking up. Raising a hand, she answered, "Olivia still isn't here."

"Yes, I am," said a voice at the doorway. Artie looked up to see Olivia wheeling herself in, catching the doorframe as she turned the corner. She flushed immediately, as twenty-four pairs of eyes (twenty-seven, counting the band) stared back at her. Pushing the wheels on her chair, she approached the group and parked beside Artie. "Sorry I'm late. I traded my crutches for my wheelchair after the bell. Mom was keeping it in the kitchen for me all day, which is clear across the school. I figured I could, um, dance better this way."

Artie couldn't help but stare, and it had nothing to do with the chair she sat in. Olivia had dressed up for the occassion, her dark curls worn down today, a change from her usual ponytail. Her shoulder-length black hair framed her cherub face perfectly, calling attention to her wide, dark eyes with their long, long lashes. She had traded her usual jeans for a denim skirt today, which fell over her knees and was frayed at the edge. For the first time, he noticed that Olivia wore braces on her legs, a fact which shouldn't have surprised him. Her legs were small and frail with very little muscle tone. Even Artie, who hadn't really used his legs for going-on nine years now, maintained some of the muscle tone in his legs through therapy. She bore the mark of being born with paralysis.

"I like that, two wheelchairs," agreed Mr. Schuester, cheerfully. "That should balance out both sides of the stage nicely when we do ensemble performances. Our first project isn't a number for the entire group, actually, but before we get started on that... introductions. No more new members on this side, old members on this side. Let's have an icebreaker. We'll have everyone state their name, a few facts, and a favorite song or band."

"_Another_ Asian," muttered Tina, rolling her eyes as a new guy stood up to be first to introduce himself, causing Artie to hold in a laugh. Mike Chang caught Tina's eye, nodding at the new Asian, and gave her the thumbs-up. The new Asian, it turned out, was a freshman named Yudai Nguyen. ("You-die-when?" echoed Tina, repeating the name exactly as the boy had pronounced it.) You-Die-When shared that he usually sang bass. His favorite band was the Killers. ("How original," said Tina, rolling her eyes.)

Besides the _other _other Asian, there were the two new Cheerios (Natalie and Tamara), the two new football players (Isaac and Cole), Suzy Pepper's little sister, Kinsey Pepper, and five others who were less memorable. In all, they had twelve new members, doubling the size of the team last year. Once the twelve new members had finished their introductions, the old members followed suit. Puck's fun fact about himself was that he was God's gift to singing. Mike followed that up by stating that he'd danced for Mother Teresa and Ghandi.

When they had finished making all the introductions, Mr. Schuester passed out lists. "Now," he announced. "We'll waste no time getting to work. Based on my initial impressions after your auditions, I've paired each old member with a new member. I would like for the returning students to mentor their partners. Each pair will be working on a duet."

Tina rolled her eyes when she realized she'd been partnered, yet again, with the only available Asian. Across the room, Yudai Nguyen was grinning eagerly at her. Artie resisted the urge to snicker out loud at this pairing. He was so amused by Tina's predicament that he almost forgot to check the list to see who he'd be singing with. Skimming the names once again, he prayed for anyone besides Kinsey Pepper as his partner. He shouldn't have been surprised to find himself paired with Olivia.

Of course.

"The duet can be anything you choose," Mr. Schuester went on. "But I have suggestions, if you'd like to hear them. Just come see me later. Some of you may recall that we worked on ballads in partners last year. This can be a ballad, but I'm not making it required that you sing a ballad. Do whatever you'd like, just make sure the song suits both of your voices and personalities. We'll be having a competition within our team to determine which duets we take to competition. Prior to Sectionals, the powers that be have decided to hold a small duets competition as a preliminary invitational. Three pairs will be selected to represent McKinley. For us, that means three new members and new old ones will represent us... in five days. We compete this Saturday."

_Five days?_ The members of New Directions murmered in surprise, stunned that the competition was happening so quickly. This meant that they all had a limited amount of time, working with someone brand new, to come up with a flawless duet. Still, it wasn't like they hadn't thrived under pressure in the past. Who could forget their miraculous save at Sections when the team managed to put together two brand new songs in a mere ten minutes? Compared to the task of saving Sectionals, duets would be a piece of cake.

"We can do it," whispered Artie to Olivia, who already looked nervous. She smiled ruefully at him and whispered her thanks, barely audible. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Tina looking at them with an troubled expression. Once again, Artie tried to convince himself that he was imagining things. He'd still given Tina no reason to be jealous.


	6. Stand By Me

A/N: I was a little rushed in uploading this. My apologies if you find mistakes. I assure you they will be corrected later.

* * *

Olivia broke the news to Artie at Tuesday's practice. "I'm sorry, Artie," she said, seriously, turning her wheelchair to face him squarely. All around them, their friends were singing and dancing in pairs, everyone working hard to win one of the three spots on Saturday. "I just can't go through with this."

Artie, who had been strumming out the chords to their song in their corner of the room amidst all the chaos of others rehearsing, looked up at her in alarm. She sighed, shoving the sheet music into his hand. "I _hate_ this song," she went on to confess. "I know we picked it because we both know it by heart, but the thing is, I hear it at least three times every week. My little sister, Isabella is obsessed with the movie, _Aladdin_. She always begs me to watch it with her. Is it too late to pick something else?"

Having initially thought that Olivia meant she couldn't go through with being in New Directions, as opposed to merely hating the duet they'd picked, Artie was very relieved. And even he had to admit that _A Whole New World _was a pretty corny song. "Oh," he replied, raising his eyebrows. "I thought you meant that you _liked_ it, since you said you knew it."

Olivia made a face. "No!" she giggled. "And _I _thought _you_ liked it. Seemed weird, but I figured to each his own."

Artie burst out laughing at this. "Well, now that _that's _settled, I have to tell you that singing about magic carpet rides in wheelchairs is not really my idea of artistic irony!" She grinned as well. "I'll tell you what _is _though..." Artie whipped out the list of songs that Mr. Schuester had provided for inspiration. He skimmed down the list with his finger and landed on the very last song on the list.

"_Stand By Me _in wheelchairs?" Olivia looked torn between amusement and horror. "Artie!"

"No, I'm _serious_," he insisted, noting her doubtful expression. "Irony is a _good_ thing. It'll enhance the performance. We can use some of the same steps... we really shouldn't call them steps, should we? The same _moves _that we were working on for the other song. Complete with wheelies, 'Liv. I'm putting my foot down, you're doing a wheelie!"

"I'd like to see you put your foot down," she taunted him, smirking.

Artie grinned. No one, not even Tina, dared to tease him like _that_. He couldn't help but enjoy it a little. Now that they were on good terms, Artie was finding Olivia pretty likable. He had even called her by her nickname, 'Liv, which she'd given him permission to do yesterday. She continued to complain about the wheelie suggestion, but Artie knew she'd end up trying it in the end, just to make him happy.

"So, that's settled then," he concluded, smiling at Olivia. "We're scrapping the stupid Disney song and doing _Stand By Me. _Sounds like a plan."

Across the room, Tina burst out laughing at something her duets partner had just said. The younger Asian grinned. Artie had yet to figure out whether he was Japanese or Vietnamese. Maybe he was both. He was sure that the kid wasn't Korean. Koreans had the most striking features, though he'd only ever paid attention to the features of Korean females. Or rather, _one_ Korean female.

"I wonder what's so funny," mused Olivia. "I haven't heard what they're singing yet."

"I asked her what they were singing yesterday," Artie said, shrugging. "She told me it was top secret, quote-unquote. She and You-Die How don't want to give it away so they're practicing on their own time at his house." He concluded his statement by rolling his eyes dramatically. Not that he felt threatened by a freshman. A tall, handsome,_ Asian_ freshman...

"At his house?" Olivia caught on quickly. "Are you okay with that? I mean, you and Tina _are _dating."

"Well, she told me what she was doing," Artie said, determined not to become an annoyingly paranoid boyfriend. If Tina said that she and what's-his-name needed to practice at his place, Artie wasn't going to make a big deal about it. He trusted his girlfriend completely, and if the tables were turned, he was sure that she'd trust him. In fact, why not test her to make sure? "And I'm sure it would be fine for you to practice at my place."

"It _does _seem wise to keep our act a secret," Olivia agreed, looking apprehensively at Artie. She glanced at Tina again, and her look said it all. Artie shook his head firmly and insisted that it would be fine. Furthermore, he assured Olivia that he would let Tina know about their plans. Olivia's doubtful expression changed into a gleeful one. "And I think you're just three blocks from me. I can roll on over."

"But you don't need to walk home alone afterwards," Artie realized. "Or _roll _home. How about you save me a trip and invite me over instead?"

"You do remember I have annoying younger siblings, right?"

"Yeah, an instant audience!"

"If you say so." Olivia smirked, and Artie wondered how bad they could be.

* * *

_When the night has come  
And the land is dark  
And the moon is the only light we'll see  
No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me_

Artie sang, circling Olivia's chair in his. Olivia played the part well, looking admirably at Artie while he serenaded her. On the last line, he reached out left hand and took hers. They used their right hands to push their right wheels, doing a little circle around each other as they started into the chorus. Artie had taken the move from Finn and Rachel's signature step in _Don't Stop Believing._ (Second to _Proud Mary, _this was his favorite glee number of all time.) Olivia beamed the way Rachel used to beam at Finn as she joined in...

_And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me  
Stand by me, stand by me_

Artie reached out and stopped the iPod, saying, "That's all we've practiced so far. What do you guys think?"

Two of the three younger Ortiz kids, the nine-year-old twin boys, began applauding wildly. Evan and Ethan got a little too enthusiastic, standing up and jumping on the couch cushions. Olivia reminded them not to jump on the furniture, however, and they obediently sat back down. Isabella, the adorable six-year-old, clutched her Jasmine doll and pouted, saying, "I liked _A Whole New World _better."

"Sorry, Bella," said Olivia, glancing at Artie as though to say _told you so_. "Okay, guys, it's getting closer to bedtime for you two and Bella, you're up late tonight. So I'd like for Ethan and Evan to get showers and get ready for bed. And Bella, go pick up your toys before Momma gets home. I'll be in to get you ready for bed in a little while."

Artie thought the kids might protest, but they seemed to regard Olivia as an authority figure. All three obeyed again, causing Artie to gape at Olivia and say, "Where are the annoying siblings you told me about before? These kids are perfect!"

Olivia grinned. "Yeah, they're good kids," she agreed. "The twins have been a little more rowdy this year, and I think I'm not as patient with them as I once was. Sorry we ended up babysitting. Daddy had to work late, and Momma went to check on my grandmother. Mimi mentioned cooking so Mom went over to make sure nothing caught on fire." She giggled. "Mimi's never been able to cook, even when she was younger. That's why Mom's so good. She taught herself when she was just ten."

"Do you cook?" Artie wanted to know.

"A little," said Olivia. "I need help whenever it's something to go in the oven. That can be tricky to manage with crutches. But then, most things are tricky to manage with crutches. Still, I find if I'm creative, there isn't a lot I can't do. Maybe not running a marathon."

"Not according to the Special Olympics," Artie quickly corrected.

At this, Olivia laughed. "I should have seen that one coming," she mused. "I forgot that I'm talking to the guy who did what I once thought was impossible by joining glee club. Artie, I really admire you, you know that? You seem really well adjusted, considering you weren't born this way."

"Oh, so it's only normal to be well-adjusted if you were born paralyzed?"

Olivia blushed. "That came out wrong, sorry. I only meant that I think it would be hard to forget what it was like to be like everyone else. I realize what I'm missing out on, to a certain extent, but having never experienced life without crutches..."

"... it's not such a loss," Artie finished. "I get it. You and I, we aren't as similar as everybody thinks."

"How did it happen?" There it was, the question. The one he'd once lied to, when asked point-blank by Tina, the first person at McKinely High School with the guts to go there. And then of course, she'd found out in the worst way when she saw that tape of his accident, the one Artie never meant for anyone to see.

"It was a skiing accident when I was eight," Artie admitted now. The difficult thing about admitting that he had been skiing was admitting that it was, in fact, his fault. If he hadn't been such a daredevil and a show-off, he might still be walking today. But the list of _what if _was endless. For Olivia, there really wasn't a _what if._

"I see," Olivia nodded, letting Artie leave his answer at this. "There's skiiing for people like us, you know."

"I know, it's just..." Artie trailed off, undecided on how best to explain his reasons for avoiding a modified version of the sport that nearly ended his life. Again, Olivia nodded, allowing Artie to leave it at that.

"Do you want to practice the second verse tonight?" Olivia suggested. They checked the clock in unison, however, and noticed that it was getting a little late for a school night. "Oh, yeah, or not. We still have plenty of time. I think it's coming together. I'll listen to it again and see if I can come with more moves for tomorrow."

"Same here," Artie agreed. "And you're still doing that wheelie, remember?"

Olivia winced. "I'm not going to like falling out of a wheelchair, but sure," she nodded, reluctantly. "If you insist. I just hope that - "

"_I can't find Aladdin!" _Isabella shrieked from the other room. _"Livvie, where is it?!"_

_"In your dollhouse!" _Olivia yelled back. She gave Artie a meaningful look, then massaged her temple, saying, "Isabella always loses her toys and gets upset when she can't find them. Gives me such a headache, always tracking down her favorite stuffed animal or a lost game piece."

"Headache?" Artie looked at her in alarm.

"I _knew_ better than to say headache," Olivia scolded herself, cringing at Artie. "I see someone's been researching spina bifida. Please don't tell me you're going to start treating me like I'm sickly, too. My friend, Courtney, was just fine with me until she started reading the internet. Now I can't take an advil without her freaking out, asking if it's my shunt."

"So, you have one?"

"It isn't as freaky as it sounds," Olivia said, defensively. "I've only had a few bad episodes that landed me in the hospital. Usually, I stay pretty healthy. I'm not sick, Artie. So don't start."

"Wasn't gonna!" Artie said, hurriedly, realizing that Tina had sort of been right about this.

"Yeah, well..." Olivia trailed off, glancing over her shoulder in the direction of her sister's bedroom. "I hate to end tonight on that note, but Bella needs to be in bed already. I'd better go take care of her. Um, but I had a lot of fun tonight. I'm really glad you picked this song for us."

She reached for her crutches and used them to hoist herself out of the wheelchair. Artie hadn't seen her out of the chair all night, and he'd gotten used to having her at eye level. "Me too," he said, raising his eyes to look at her.

Olivia walked him to the door and watched him go down the street. She asked him to text her to let her know he'd make it home safely, which seemed silly to Artie since it was only three blocks away, but he supposed being disabled didn't make her any less paranoid than the rest of his family. If anything, she understood the constant vulnerability of his situation better than anyone else. Tina _wanted _to understand, but Artie knew she didn't. Not really.

And suddenly, knowing Olivia was becoming very uncomfortable.


	7. Kung Fu Fighting

A/N: Nobody asked about this, but I figured I would share anyway. There is a kid named "Yudai" (not Yudai Nguyen, something else...) at the school where I work. I hear his teacher calling out, "You-die! You-die!" down the hall every other day. It makes me laugh. Thus, this is where I got the inspiration for Yudai Nguyen, which people have yet to comment on. I'm going to work him in more! By the way, two chapters back, I've changed the names of the new members of New Directions that I mentioned. Just in case you notice and get confused...

_

* * *

Everybody was kung-fu fighting  
Those cats were fast as lightning  
In fact it was a little bit frightning  
But they did it with expert timing_

Artie glanced sideways at Mike Chang, who rolled his eyes and muttered something about Asian stereotypes. On stage now, Yudai and Tina energetically belted out _Kung Fu Fighting, _mixing in a few karate chops and kicks. Artie wondered if they had chosen this campy song to compensate for their voices which, although great separately, did not coexist without effort. Even so, Mr. Schuester was laughing and applauding, obviously impressed by their creativity. "Great song choice!" He praised them, reminding Artie of Simon Cowell.

It was Friday, and Tina and Yudai were the last to audition. There had been songs from every decade, every genre. Even though a few of the pairs had been oddly matched, everyone had made it work. Even Kinsey Pepper's duet with Finn (singing _Alone _by Heart) had been decent, although Finn looked a little frightened every time Kinsey got too close. Artie could tell they were going to have a strong team this year. They might even have a shot at winning Regionals now.

After auditions, Mr. Schuester announced that he and his assistant judge, Ms. Pillsbury, would need a few minutes to deliberate. They stepped out of the room, leaving the kids to wait in the auditorium. Immediately, the room was full of nervous activity. The competition hadn't been this intense since last year's battle of the sexes. Finn got onstage and started playing the drums. Rachel stood in the middle of the stage, practicing her fouetté en tournant.

"I think it'll be Tina and Yudai, Rachel and Isaac and... maybe Mercedes and Cole?" Olivia leaned over to whisper this prediction. Artie disagreed, thinking that Rachel had overshadowed Isaac too much to call what they'd done a true duet. They had done _One Sweet Day_, a song that was surely chosen so that Rachel could outsing every girl in the room. Unfortunately Isaac's smooth voice with its perfect pitch was still no match for Rachel, and she outsang her partner as well. Cole's rich, soulful voice complimented Mercedes' "chocolate thunder" very well, however, and they were the strongest contenders in Artie's opinion. They had belted _Ain't No Mountain High Enough _to the unanimous approval of the club. As for Tina and Yudai, Artie wasn't really impressed by their number.

"What about us?" Artie whispered back, grinning. "I thought we looked and sounded pretty great up there. And you nailed that wheelie."

"I thought I was going to tip over backwards," she replied, with a giggle. "But yeah, I guess I did."

Mr. Schue and Ms. Pillsbury returned after less than five minutes with a decision. The room fell silent again as Mr. Schuester made the annoucement. "Great job, guys. I wish we could take everyone on Saturday. But know that even if you and your partner aren't performing, the whole team is invited to come. We'll be taking a bus that can hold everyone. And now, without further ado, drum roll please..."

Finn obliged, tapping the drums gently. Artie thought Finn didn't look too nervous, probably already resigned to the fact that he and Kinsey hadn't made the cut. Mr. Schue cued him to stop and Finn obliged, looking at his teacher expectantly.

"We've decided on Cole and Mercedes, Isaac and Rachel, and Artie and Olivia," said Mr. Schuester, as most of the students began nodding approvingly. Artie glanced at Tina, and it looked like she was disappointed. Then Mr. Schuester added, "And also, Yudai and Tina, we'd like for you to come as our alternates."

Tina looked slightly happier at this. She caught sight of Artie staring at her with a worried expression and quickly reciprocated with a reassuring smile and thumbs up. She exchanged a quick high five with Yudai as Artie sighed in relief. He looked around the whole room, trying to decide if anyone else looked upset about not being chosen. There didn't seem to be hard feelings here as everyone began throwing out their congratulations to the winners. And on that note, Mr. Schue dismissed them all, reminding them to be at the school by 8:45 AM the next morning.

* * *

"Not getting to sleep in on Saturday _sucks_," Tina complained, as Artie treated her to a massage. She marveled at how strong his hands felt as they caressed the muscles of her neck and shoulders. Their usual, laid-back Friday night was under way at Tina's empty house. She'd had been paid to babysit her three-year-old cousin while her parents were out celebrating her aunt's birthday, and Artie was happy to come over and help out for free. It turned out to be very easy money, especially when little Kayley fell asleep easily at 8:00.

"I just wish you were performing too, Tee," Artie lamented, bitterly. "I thought you deserved it over Isaac and Rachel."

"The _last _time I beat Rachel at anything, she quit on us," Tina said, with a laugh. "I think it's better this way."

"How did Yudai talk you into that _song_?"

Tina turned around, giving him a strange look. "He didn't," she replied. "He just suggested it, and we both agreed it would be funny. We couldn't pull off anything romantic or gentle. Yudai was born for comedy so we went for laughs instead. Personally, I thought it worked. It got us fourth place anyway. Are you gonna be like Mike and gripe at me for 'mocking my heritage?'" She concluded this statement with an eyeroll.

"No, no," Artie amended quickly. "I just thought that song didn't showcase your talent. But you did well, considering you were stuck with that kid, You-Die-Why or whatever his name is. He's okay, but you're so much better than he is."

"Yudai _Nguyen,_" Tina corrected. "And believe it or not, he's a little sensitive about his name."

"Oh, I wouldn't say it to his face," Artie promised. "Speaking of sensitive, you were kind of right about Olivia."

"Oh, Artie, you didn't ask her..."

"I _had_ to know," he said, defensively. "That kind of thing's important to me. But it turns out that she _does_ have a shunt, and she doesn't like for people to know about it. Says they treat her weird, like she's sick. It makes me think, you know? I may be paralyzed... but I'm healthy. She makes me realize how much I take for granted every day. She's really amazing, the way she never lets it get her down."

"Can we not talk about her tonight?" Tina said suddenly, making Artie recoil slightly.

"Why not?"

"Because," Tina swept her hair over her neck, letting it fall over her shoulders, and got up off the floor. She moved back up to the couch to sit next to Artie, but he noticed that she kept her distance, sitting on the other side. He interpreted her body posture as a sign of trouble. Sure enough... "It's just that you've spent a lot of time with her lately, and it seems like you usually find a way to bring her into our conversations."

"Well, she's my duets partner," Artie protested, his brow furrowing in frustration. "Of course I spent a lot of time with her. You spent a lot of time practicing at Yudai's house."

"I know that, it's just..." Tina did not look at Artie as she traced the fabric on the couch, trying to find the words to express her feelings. Artie's interest in Olivia, to Tina, seemed like something more than mere curiousity over her disability. Maybe she _was _being paranoid, but it was more of an intuition than an actual, evidence-based theory. She saw something between them when she watched them onstage. Rachel and Finn's chemistry had always worked because it existed offstage as well as onstage. Could the same be true of Artie and Olivia? When Tina had suggested it to Mercedes, the other girl didn't exactly disagree.

"Tina, you're the _only _girl for me," Artie argued, firmly. He was tired of this, tired of Tina's suspicious behavior every time Olivia was around. Although, if he was really being honest now, it wasn't like he didn't understand what had prompted Tina's feelings. And even though he had tried, he had never _really _been able to take back what he'd said last year. _I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry you get to be normal, and I'm gonna be stuck in this chair for the rest of my life..._

"I can't help but think you deserve someone who understands what you're going through," Tina said, unable to keep the tears at bay now. Her eyes shone, threatening to overflow at any moment. "Artie, no matter how much I may_ want_ to get it, I just don't. I never will. I haven't sat in your chair, rolled a mile in your shoes. We both know that three hours a day for a couple of weeks doesn't really count for much. It kills me that I can't relate to you the way she does. And she seems nice, she really does, but now I wish we didn't know her at all. I see... I've noticed... I see the way you look at her."

"I don't -"

"Artie, please," Tina begged, holding up a hand. "Please. Be real with me."

Artie hesitated, just long enough to prove her point. He hung his head, disgusted with himself, as Tina edged closer and leaned against him. Wordlessly, he stroked her silky black hair. The words didn't come because there weren't words to fix this. Although they weren't fighting about it, they weren't happy either. Strangely, the strongest emotion he experienced now was guilt. Although outwardly, nothing had happened with Olivia, Artie had already cheated on Tina in his heart. His heart had betrayed them both. "I'm... sorry," he choked out, barely above a whisper. He didn't know what else to say.

Tina kissed his cheek, letting tears stream down her face. "I'll miss you, Artie."

"No... _please..._"

She cupped his chin in her hand, hating herself for giving in. But if she didn't do something, she would have to go on dealing with the green monster. As long as Olivia was in the picture, Tina would struggle with jealousy. And hadn't experience taught Tina to know better than to ignore a problem, in hopes that it would disappear on its own? No matter how much you didn't talk about it, no matter how much you acted as though it didn't exist, simply _not_ acknowledging the problem didn't change anything. "Find out how you feel about her," she said, letting go of his chin to wrap him up in a hug. "It's the only thing you can do."

Artie broke down at the realization that this was Tina breaking up with him. In her mind, she was setting him free, allowing him to explore the possibility of someone else. He had never wanted anyone else until now. Wanting them both was so confusing, so painful. How could he move on? How could Tina be willing to just _let _him go? She should be protesting, yelling at him, _anything _besides quietly surrendering to the "other woman."

Or did she just want to go? Was this the opportunity Tina had been waiting for, a way to gently let Artie down without hurting him? But surely she wouldn't play with Artie's emotions this way_. _That wouldbe _much_ too cruel, which wasn't like her at all. It wasn't until later, after Artie had reluctantly left Tina sitting alone in her livingroom, that this idea crossed his mind. Perhaps all the strain over being with _someone like Artie_ had finally gotten to Tina. Besides You-Die, the Wonder Asian, there were lots of new guys in glee. They'd be spending a lot of time with these people now. Perhaps Tina had taken an interest in someone...

Whatever her reason, she'd ended it. Or maybe, in actuality, _he _had ended it. The relationship had been rocky from the beginning, it was true, but they were just getting comfortable. It was like being yanked out of bed too early in the morning. He wanted nothing more than to pull the covers around him tighter and never leave the comfortable place he was in. _"I see the way you look at her."_ He knew he was foolish for looking, for thinking that anyone else could provide the comfort he'd found with Tina.

But it was too late to take it all back, now that the damage had been done.


	8. True Colors

_And I know you're shining down on me from Heaven! _As Rachel belted the chorus of _One Sweet Day_, her partner Isaac appeared to be struggling just to make himself audible. With the competition just hours away, Rachel seemed to have decided that it was best to take things up a notch. Her partner hadn't counted on the change.

Mr. Schue stood up, stopping the early morning run-through and shaking his head. "Rachel, we can't hear Isaac again," he pointed out, amidst muffled snickers from the audience. When Mr. Schue gave them all sharp looks, they slumped down in their chairs obediently and piped down. Onstage, Isaac caught a withering stare from Rachel. They tried it again. Mr. Schue went back to making phone calls.

Artie noticed none of it. Instead, he kept looking at his cell phone, willing it to ring. He'd called Olivia four times, and now, she was nearly fifteen minutes late. The "handicapable" bus was late as well, however, which was why they had time to do run-throughs in the auditorium. Mr. Schuester was distracted, trying to call the school's transportation department and corral the kids at the same time. No one else had noticed she was missing.

Finally, Mr. Schue got word that the bus was five minutes away. Satisfied, he ushered them all out of the auditorium, doing a quick head count as they filed out. "Hey... where's Olivia?"

"I've been trying to call her," Artie explained, holding up his cell. "She won't answer her cell phone."

"I'll try to get a hold of her mom," Mr. Schuester said, undaunted by the news. "She's probably already on her way. I know the number's in the office. I'll go make the call. You guys go ahead and get on the bus."

The glee clubbers lined the pavement, waiting for their bus. Tina and Artie were at either end of the line, and Mercedes quickly dissected the situation. She was closest to Artie so she leaned over and whispered, "Did something happen between you two?"

"We broke up."

Saying the words out loud didn't make it any more real to Artie. He was numb to the pain now, after dealing with his demons all night long and not getting even two hours of sleep. When he did sleep, he saw a confusing whirlwind of pictures in his mind, flashes as opposed to actual dreams. Tina's face. Olivia's face. Tina singing _Stand by Me_ with him in Olivia's place. Olivia singing _True Colors._

"Not possible..." Mercedes looked scandalized. She leaned over to survey Tina, standing on the opposite end of the pavement. Artie saw Tina look over and he dropped his head, avoiding her eyes. It wasn't as though they'd argued and yelled their way through it. Would it hurt as badly if he felt anger towards Tina, as opposed to bitter remorse?

The bus arrived and there wasn't much else to say. Mercedes gave him a pitiful glance before climbing on the bus, her partner Cole following behind her. Artie waited for the driver to lower the ramp after everyone else had gotten on first. Still no Olivia. Still no Mr. Schuester. Artie checked his watch again. They were twenty-minutes behind schedule now. Hopefully, they wouldn't arrive late for the competition.

And suddenly, Mr. Schuester came running up. Breathlessly, he announced the reason for the hold up. "Olivia's in the hospital," he said, causing Tina to freeze in the doorway of the bus, Yudai looking over her shoulder worriedly. Mr. Schuester looked down at Artie. "Some kind of complication with... a shunt? She went in last night and had an operation this morning. All I know is, she's fine now. But obviously, she's not coming."

Hadn't she just told Artie she was fine? He recalled how Olivia had acted when he asked about it, how quick she was to assure him that it was nothing. And now this? As Mr. Schuester went on to say that Tina and Yudai would have to perform in their place today, Artie barely heard him. All he could think about was the terror of waking up, finding yourself alone and scared in a hospital bed.

"Artie - " Mr. Schuester jolted him out of the trance he was in. Artie shook his head and looked up at his teacher. "Artie, you're still welcome to come with us to the competition."

"Thanks, but... " Artie's eyes wandered to Tina, who gave him an imperceptibly tiny nod. "I think, um, that Olivia could use a friend. Since I am her partner and since you don't need me at the competition, I think it should be me. I'm going to go see her at the hospital. Her mom did say she was okay now?"

Mr. Schuester responded by saying that this sounded like a good idea. He patted Artie on the shoulder before climbing on the bus with the others. Artie thought he saw Tina give him a very small smile before getting on the bus and taking her seat next to Yudai. Three rows back, Mercedes hung her head out the window, not smiling. She looked straight at Artie and shook her head sadly at him, as if to tell him that he was making a mistake.

Mistake or not, Olivia needed _somebody _and it looked like that somebody would be Artie.

* * *

"I thought you hated hospitals, son," Artie's dad remarked, as the van lowered Artie onto the pavement in front of the Cooley Neurosurgical Clinic, where Olivia had apparently gone under the knife hours earlier. It was kind of remarkable that she was already up and talking, but that was the report he'd gotten from her mother on the phone. Artie had called to make sure it was okay for him to come.

"I _do_ hate them, Dad," said Artie, unlocking his wheels and rolling out on to the sidewalk. "But that was when it was me. I can stand to make a visit for a friend."

He set out on his own, parting ways with his father at the curb. Hospitals were the most handicap accessible places on earth. Artie found everything about navigating his way through the halls of St. Rita Medical Center completely effortless. He took the elevator up to the fourth floor and found Mrs. Ortiz sitting in the waiting room with the three younger kids. They looked relatively calm, not panicked as Artie had imagined, as if this were no big deal.

"What happened?" Artie said, as soon as Olivia's mother noticed him, a hint of hysteria in his voice. One day she had been fine, the next day she was in the hospital, recovering from brain surgery. It was a lot to handle at once, and Artie didn't realize quite how much it upset him until now.

"She's fine," Mrs. Ortiz soothed him, her tone reassuring. Artie acknowledged, however, that she had the additional responsibility of keeping three young children calm. Naturally, she would be saying that. "Olivia had a bad headache last night, and she came to me, saying she thought it was one of _those _headaches. She can usually identify her own symptoms. Sure enough, she was nearly passed out cold in a matter of minutes, and we called an ambulance. Her shunt malfunctioned again, and she needed replacement. Dr. Cooley got here quickly and took good care of her. So, yes, she's fine. And she's thankful that you came, Artie. You can go see her. Room 403."

It took seeing Olivia for Artie to finally calm himself. When he entered her room, she didn't look terrible, given the circumstances. Her eyes looked a little blurry and unfocused, but she'd brushed her hair back into a ponytail and was sitting up in bed, wearing her own pajamas instead of a hospital gown. A large bandage peeked out from behind her right ear. Her breakfast sat nearby, still untouched.

"So, I guess Yudai and Tina are _Kung Fu Fighting_ right now," was the first thing she said, with a yawn and a lazy grin. She seemed determined to talk about anything other than her current situation."Oh, well, I really thought they deserved to go."

Artie rolled right up to her bedside. "Liv," he said, softly. "I was really freaked out."

The smile she had forced upon her face was fading now. "This doesn't help my case much, does it?" When Artie looked confused, she clarified. "I can see it in your eyes, you think I'm breakable now."

He did not answer right away. All Artie knew was that Olivia looked small and scared in her hospital bed, despite her mother's assurances that nothing was wrong and her own desperate attempts at acting casual about the situation. She told him she'd been in the hospital "a few" times before, but Artie could see that no matter now many times it happened, this was not the type of thing one adjusted to.

Artie attempted to change the subject, keeping the conversation light. "So," he began, glancing at her breakfast. "What was wrong with the food? Did you want sunny-side up instead of scrambled? I know you're used to getting better at your house."

There it was. A real smile. "Actually, I have a hard time looking at food right now," she admitted. "Last night, when I was dealing with my shunt malfunction, I couldn't keep anything down. That was how we knew it was happening again. Bad headache, dizziness, nausea... it was all there."

Artie nodded, wincing slightly as he imagined her being so sick. "Well, it sounds like you're pretty good at noticing your own symptoms," he commented. "I'm glad you got to the hospital so quickly." He didn't add that it sounded like something bad could've happened if she hadn't.

"I just feel bad for Mom," sighed Olivia. "Dad's out of town right now so she had to deal with all of the little kids, plus getting me here. My aunt's going to come here later and help her out though. And at least she _has _Dad now. Not like the first time..."

"The first time?" Artie noticed a distant look in her eyes as she spoke.

"I was a year old when my shunt malfunctioned and had to be replaced the first time," Olivia explained. "And mom had already been through so much with me by then. They did surgery while she was still pregnant, then another shortly after I was born. And through _all _of that, she was by herself. My _biological _father left her when he found out about me. Couldn't handle it, I guess."

"So, Mr. Ortiz is...?"

"My stepfather, technically," she explained, her eyes shining. "Which makes my siblings my half-siblings, technically. But he's the only father I've ever known. And he's never complained about all the doctor's visits, costly shunt replacements, and so on. He's a pretty amazing guy."

"Wow," was all Artie could say.

They sat quietly in the hospital for awhile and Olivia closed her eyes at some point, drifting off to sleep again. But not before instructing Artie to eat her breakfast before it got cold. Artie didn't really feel right about that. He sat, looking out the window for awhile, wondering if he should call his dad. After about ten minutes, he noticed that Olivia had her eyes open again, and she was staring at him.

"Does Tina know you're here?" Olivia asked. She shifted uncomfortably in her bed, adding, "I mean, if I were dating someone and they went to the hospital to see another girl... I just... I don't know..."

"We're not."

"Not what?"

"D-dating," Artie stammered, looking at his feet. "Anymore."

Olivia said nothing, but a low whistle escaped her lips at the news. Artie could feel her eyes on him as she continued to stare. After a moment, she cleared her throat and asked, "Did... it have anything to do with me?"

Artie looked up in amazement. _Wow, she knows how to be blunt, doesn't she?_ He wondered how to answer that. The truth was that it had everything to do with Olivia, but Artie never intended to tell her that. He was still getting to know her and, frankly, he wasn't even close to being over Tina. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since their split. There was no way he and Olivia were having this conversation now.

"Because if it does," Olivia went on, not giving him a chance to speak. (He wouldn't even know what to say if she did.) "If it does, I'm stopping you right there. Artie, I think you're a sweet guy and everything, but I cannot see us dating, not in a million years."

Artie reacted as though he'd been bitten. "Uh, gee, thanks," he said, sourly, scowling at her. "I don't recall asking you out or even confirming that my split with Tina had anything to do with you."

Olivia bit her lip. "No, that's true," she backpedaled. "I'm sorry, Artie, I guess I just got the wrong idea, what with you being the first person to come here and visit me and all. If I said too much, just... just forget it."

"But I'm curious now," Artie said, wheeling himself forward slightly. "Why not?"

"Because you're in a wheelchair," was her blunt, direct answer. Artie knew Olivia could be blunt, but _really?_ He gaped at her in disbelief, not sure what to say. If she hadn't been saying this to him while sitting in a hospital bed, connected to an IV and surrounded by a bunch of intimidating equipment, he surely would have started yelling at her.

"Because I'm in a wheelchair," Artie repeated, wondering if he could have heard her correctly. When she nodded, Artie continued to gape in silence. After a few moments, it looked like Olivia might be on the verge of crying. Oh, geez, crying wasn't good for a person trying to recover from brain surgery, was it?

"Don't you see?" she finally said, her eyes pleading with him. "Isn't it... isn't it _enough _to deal with one person being like this? I mean, I look at my younger siblings and I'm _so _thankful that nothing's wrong with any of them. They're all healthy, able-bodied kids. Artie, it's hard enough to deal with being me. I couldn't... couldn't deal with someone like you."

"You can stop letting me down gently now." Though he should have been getting angry over that blunt remark, he managed a smile instead as something dawned on him.

"I just told you I'd never date you because you're in a wheelchair," she replied, swiping at her eyes when a lone tear traced down her cheek. "And you can sit there, smiling at me like that? What gives, Artie?"

Artie didn't answer right away. Instead, he rolled forward and picked up the hand in her lap that wasn't currently all taped up with a needle in its vein. Wordlessly, he gave her hand a kiss. It wasn't meant to be romantic, just tender, and Artie could see that Olivia understood the gesture.

"You just made me realize something important," he said, backing himself away from the hospital bed. With that, he smiled and Olivia returned the smile curiously, still puzzled by Artie's reaction but pleased nonetheless. She was about to ask him to explain, but this time, he cut her off.

"I better be going now, you look like you still need to rest," he said. "Feel better soon, okay?"


	9. Jock Jams and Broadway

Olivia had to stay at the hospital for a full week before they cleared her to go home. Although several members of the club wanted to visit her in the hosptial, she begged Artie to ask them not to. Respectful of her wishes, they sent her a gigantic get well card and a bunch of flowers instead. After completing her stay in the hospital, Olivia was nearly as good as new. She was a little slower, a bit more subdued perhaps, and she used a wheelchair instead of crutches for a full week afterwards. And then it was as if nothing had ever happened; Olivia never even talked about it after that. Artie could understand why.

Meanwhile, New Directions was off to a good start. Mercedes and Cole brought home the first trophy of the year for the team after taking first place at the open invitational with their duet. Tina and Yudai earned an honorable mention for their quirky number as well. The next item on the agenda was a pep rally performance. They were slated to do at least two per year, one at the big opening pep rally and one at homecoming. Coach Sylvester never let Mr. Schuester live down what had happened when New Directions did _Push It _at the pep rally last year. As a result, their "fine arts director" would only allow songs from the various _Jock Jams _compilations.

"I am definitely _not _ready to rumble," Mercedes complained to Artie and Kurt during practice as she studied the CD jacket of _Jock Jams, Volume 1_ critically. She thrust it at Artie, as though she couldn't stand to look at it any longer. "Honestly, is this how she plans to sabotage us this year? What a waste of time. We have an open invitational in three weeks that's much more important than some dumb pep rally. We should be putting our time and energy towards _that._"

"Our friends are putting all _their _time and energy towards hooking up," said Kurt, looking around the room furtively. "Haven't you noticed how everyone's pairing off. I guess it's a bit easier, now that there are more of us. Brittany and Isaac, Olivia and Yudai, Santana and Cole..."

"What, what?" Artie piped up.

"Santana and Cole?"

"No, not _them_," Artie muttered, impatiently. He scanned the auditorium just in time to catch sight of the two walking in together, Yudai carrying Olivia's books. Of course, people were always carrying things for Olivia, but Artie was looking closely enough now to notice something different about the way the tall Asian looked at her. She laughed at something he was saying as they found their seats near the back of the auditorium, a safe distance from everyone else.

"But he's a freshman," Artie muttered, almost to himself. He couldn't have seen that coming, but maybe she had liked him all along. She was always praising Tina and Yudai's duet, and perhaps that had nothing to do with the song. Well, there was something else that Artie and Olivia had in common. Asians... they both liked Asians.

"Tell me something," said Mercedes, suddenly, leaning in towards Artie. On the other side, Kurt leaned in as well, causing Artie to feel a bit crowded by their closeness. "Something has been bothering me ever since you rushed off to be by her side at the hospital two weeks ago. And I finally figured out what that something is. You... you didn't break up with Tina for Olivia, did you?"

"Mercedes, Tina broke up with _me_," Artie corrected, hastily, tearing his eyes away from Olivia. He maintained his innocence in spite of knowing that it was his behavior that prompted Tina to call it quits. In truth, it _was_ all his fault for allowing Tina to feel threatened in the first place.

"I still have a hard time working that out when..." she blushed, though it was hard to see on her cocoa-colored skin, and ducked her head in embarrassment. "Nevermind. Tina would kill me if I said anything. Nevermind."

"No, now you have to say it," Artie demanded. Mercedes, who never could keep secrets very well, wasn't going to hold out on him now. Not if he had anything to say about it. Artie pleaded with his eyes, thinking this information might be important. "Tell me."

Mercedes exhaled loudly, as though it were costing her a lot to reveal her gossip. Kurt smirked, knowingly, as Mercedes gave in without a fight and told Artie everything. "She had just told me that the two of you were getting pretty serious," she admitted. "And how she was already imaging a future with you, Artie, talking about going off to college with you..."

College?! But they were just juniors. Artie's eyes grew wide at the idea that Tina was thinking so far ahead. He felt foolish for harboring that stupid suspicion, for even _thinking _that she was just looking for a way to get out of the relationship but let him down gently. It was always Artie who had the problem with being the "abnormal" one. Tina _never _cared about that.

"Damn, I said _way _too much..." Mercedes looked worried as Artie stared across the room, his eyes fixed on Tina.

"You think?" Kurt added, helpfully.

"But you can imagine my surprise?" she continued, ignoring Kurt. "When, out of the blue, the two of you break up. And now you tell me that it was _Tina's_ idea. Explain that to me better, Wheels. I can't make heads or tails of it. It looks like the idea was _yours_ to begin with." And Mercedes gave a nod in Olivia's direction.

"The best part of breaking up is making up," Kurt said, after a moment of silence in which Artie didn't have an answer for Mercedes. He recognized the painful longing in his friend's eyes. If anyone knew the feeling of painfully longing for someone you couldn't have, it would have to be Kurt. He nudged Artie's shoulder gently. "Just talk to her."

Before Artie could respond to that, however, they were being summoned to the stage for a first run-through of their number. Mr. Schuester announced that he'd settled on _Pump Up the Jam _by some obscure 90's group called Technotronic. He put the song on and announced they'd try choreography first, followed by lyrics. Artie and Olivia were side by side in their wheelchairs, trying to work out their moves together. The rest danced around awkwardly, copying moves supplied by the Cheerios.

_Pump up the jam  
Pump it up  
While your feet are stompin'  
And the jam is pumpin'  
Look at here the crowd is jumpin'_

Kurt did an impressive toe touch while several of the Cheerios launched themselves into back handsprings. Mike defaulted to his favorite pop 'n lock moves while Matt attempted to copy. Finn moved side to side, looking around in confusion. Meanwhile, Olivia and Artie invented a few hand movements and popped wheelies for good measure.

"Oh, hell to the no," Mercedes spoke up. "Can't we make this more interesting?"

"But there's not much we can do with this song, is there?" Tina interjected, looking at the others. As she spoke, her expression changed. Artie recognized that expression; she had an idea. She smiled. "Unless... we do a mash-up!"

"_Defying Gravity_," Kurt said, suddenly, shooting a sideways glance at Rachel as he spoke. This caught a few chuckles from the athletes in the bunch, but Rachel was already nodding enthusiastically. "Just think about it," he went on. "Pump up the jam... defying gravity... lyrically, they're a match. All we do is tweak both songs, change the beat up, and we've got a mash-up!"

"It's a great mash-up!" Olivia interjected, and Kurt beamed appreciatively at her show of support. "And I see what you're saying, Kurt. The reason it works is because... well, because you don't expect it. You don't expect these songs to fit together since they're so different. But it can work. We can _make _it work_._"

Artie thought he saw Olivia's eyes flicker in his direction.

* * *

"Artie?"

She found him in the choir room, sitting by the piano and holding the note he'd received. It was typed, but he recognized Tina's handwriting at the bottom where she'd signed her name. He couldn't help but smile at how clever it was of her to deliver the note the way she did. He discovered it at the end of the day, when someone pointed out that a piece of paper was taped to the back of his wheelchair. He remembered how he'd groaned, expecting to find a sign reading 'KICK THE WHEELCHAIR!'

And instead, he found this: _Artie, meet me in the choir room. Tina._

"Hey," she said, timidly, stopping at the doorway. "Uh, I got your note. The one you put in my locker. Can't really figure out how you put it there, though, since my locker's on top. Did Finn help you or something?"

"_My _note?"

"Yes, the one that said to meet you here," Tina went on, holding up a piece of paper. Hers was typed, just like Artie's, and Artie squinted when he noticed the signature. Someone had done a very, very good job of copying his signature. If Artie didn't know better, he would have thought that it was his own writing.

"No, I got a note from you," said Artie, shaking his head. "Taped to the back of my wheelchair. See?" He held up his note.

"That... that looks like my signature," said Tina. She looked from the note to Artie, clearly just as confused as he. "But it isn't. I didn't write that note, Artie. What's going on? Are we being set up?"

"You are," said another voice. Startled, Tina stepped aside to reveal someone else in the doorway behind her. Olivia shifted her weight on her crutches to wave guiltily at them. "Hi, um. I did it. I wrote the notes. I couldn't think of another way to get you both to come here. Sorry about that. Can, uh, I come in?"

Tina moved to allow Olivia to enter the room, but said nothing. She shot Artie a meaingful look, and Artie held up his hands. "I had nothing to do with this," Artie said, quickly. "She did this on her own."

"You... you both should sit down," Olivia said, nervously. She glanced down at Artie who, of course, was already seated and blushed slightly. Tina smiled at that and took a seat in the plastic chair beside him. Artie noticed that they were seating in the middle of the front row, their old seats in glee last year.

"Sit down, Olivia," said Tina.

"Thanks, but I prefer to stand," said the other girl. "I... I don't intend to stay long. I think the two of you need to talk. I can't stand how uncomfortable its been since... since you broke up. I always thought your relationship looked perfect, like... like a mash-up. I'll say it again. It works because you don't expect it. Sometimes you don't expect the songs in a mash-up to fit together since they're so different. But it can work. You can _make _it work_._"

Tina and Artie looked at each other, briefly, then looked back at Olivia.

She sighed. "That's all I wanted to say. And that... I'm sorry for any confusion I caused. I'm gonna leave now. I hope that you guys will stay. Please stay. Talk to each other. Please."

With that, the younger girl shifted her weight on her crutches and hurried out before either Tina or Artie could say anything. Artie watched her go, wondering whether to be grateful or angry about the set up. Now that he knew Tina hadn't initiated anything, he felt all the confidence that had been building up drain from his body. He glanced nervously at Tina, who sat rather rigidly beside him.

"Artie, it's not as though I'm _angry_," she began, though Artie noticed she didn't look directly at him as she spoke. She seemed to address the floor instead. "We broke up. Couples break up. We're still friends."

"Are we?" Artie echoed, cautiously. "We haven't even hung out together outside of school. I feel like I know you about as well as I know all the new kids in glee club, Tina. And I hate that. Plus, I hate that it's all my fault."

"_Your _fault?" Tina looked up. "How? I broke up with you."

"You say that," he continued, studying her face carefully. Tina bit her lip. "But I know the truth. You forgave me, Tee, for the way I reacted when you told me how you faked you stutter. But you never really _forgot_, did you? And then you see Olivia... and you thought I wanted someone who could understand..."

"Didn't you?" Tina blinked, in confusion. "Because the next thing I know, she's going out with the _other _other-Asian and you seem like you're totally okay with that."

"I'll be honest because lying to you never got me anywhere," he said, sighing heavily. "I thought I wanted someone who could relate to me. I thought that Olivia and I had something really important in common. But..."

Artie unlocked his wheels so that he could move closer to Tina.

She had dropped her eyes again, upon hearing him say the words that she had tried _so hard _to forget about. She had never forgotten that moment, not really. Always it had been there, in the back of her mind, haunting her. _I thought we had something really important in common._ And then Olivia had hobbled into their lives, her crutches telling her whole life's story. Tina figured a quiet surrender was the best way.

"... turns out, it's not as important as I thought. In fact, it isn't important at all."

She wouldn't raise her chin to look at him so he reached out, trying to raise it for her. When she looked at him, he felt his heart soar. He saw nothing but love in those eyes. _Love_. In the five months that they had dated, neither of them had said it. She blinked back tears, but managed a small smile in return. His heart took another giant leap in his chest.

"I love you, Tina Cohen-Chang," he said, bravely. "You get me when no one else does. I'm just sorry it took me so long to realize. And I'm sorry I ever looked at another girl, even for a second, when I had you right in front of me the whole time. I won't look away again. I love you so much."

She chewed at her lip, and Artie felt his heart plummet into his stomach. _She doesn't love me_, he thought, frantically. _I blew it big time. Worse than lying about my accident, worse than lying about anything..._

"If we're a mash-up, am I Jock Jams or Broadway?"

"Uh, what?"

"Nevermind," she said, a smile spreading across her beautiful face. "I love you, too, Artie."

"Uh, _what?"_

"You get me," she replied, smiling smugly at him now, having enjoyed taking him completely by surprise. "When no one else does. Olivia's right, you know? We're Jock Jams and Broadway, Oldies and R&B. The perfect mash-up because we make it work. I'm glad she helped us realize that. Now kiss me already before I change my mind."

Dumbfounded, Artie was happy to oblige.

* * *

(_The end. Nine chapters, my new record.)_


End file.
